by Stephen Lendman

It bears repeating what other articles explained. Ukraine is Washington's newest colony. US-installed putschists run things.

Waging war on their own citizens as Pentagon proxies. Despite over two-thirds of Ukrainians wanting peace. The vast majority of Donbas residents want fighting ended.

Dirty war without mercy rages. Throughout months of conflict, Washington continues supplying heavy weapons, funding, training and direction covertly.

CIA, FBI, special forces and other US operates infest Kiev. Joe Biden, John Kerry, Victoria Nuland, John Brennan and other US officials show up regularly to issue marching orders.

Washington calls the shots. Deplores peace. Obama didn't wage proxy war on Donbas to quit. Expect no easy end to conflict. Expect escalation, not resolution.

Especially with fascist Kiev allies. Talking peace. Waging war. After agreeing to halt fighting for three days to let Debaltsevo civilians leave for safe havens, Kiev junta shelling continued.

Donetsk People's Republic Defense Ministry spokesman Eduard Basurin accused Kiev of violating agreed on terms.

Junta forces keep firing, he said. These are unacceptable "provocations." Donetsk and nearby areas remain under constant shelling.

Lugansk emergencies minister Sergey Ivanushkin reported three civilians injured. "At the moment, our ambulances" evacuated them to Perevalsk for hospitalization, he said.

Russia and Donbas self-defense forces are consistently blamed for US/Kiev crimes.

Lunatics in Washington want greater war. It's hard knowing for sure where France and Germany stand.

Saying one thing. Pursuing another. Marching in lockstep with Washington. Covertly arming Kiev while publicly opposing it.

Perhaps intending to stop. Sanctioning Russia to please Washington. Harming themselves in the process.

On Thursday's Progressive Radio News Hour, discussion with Stop NATO's Rick Rozoff suggested Merkel and Hollande's gambit is more head-fake than serious peace initiative.

How can there be peace with increasing numbers of NATO forces provocatively deployed near Russia's borders?

With Washington arming, funding, training and directing Kiev's military. Intending greater amounts of heavy weapons than already.

Plotting new ways to antagonize Russia. Perhaps planning war based on Big Lies blaming Moscow of initiating conflict.

Why would Eastern Europe swarm with NATO forces if Washington wanted peace and normal relations with Moscow?

Why would Poroshenko threaten martial law? Doing so would be a declaration of greater war. For sure with Washington's blessing and encouragement.

Merkel and Hollande are meeting with Putin in Moscow discussing Ukraine as this article is written. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

"Talks…beg(an) with 'face-to-face' sessions not attended by members of delegations or experts." On Thursday, Merkel and Hollande discussed their peace plan with Poroshenko in Kiev.

Sputnik News said it largely replicates Minsk protocol terms "with several revisions…"

"(I)ncluding the delineation of conflicting sides along the current separation line between Kiev-led forces and armed militia in self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics."

In other words, expanding rebel-held territory to include hundreds of square miles controlled since Minsk protocol terms.

RT International said Putin's mid-January peace plan "could be the basis for the initiative" Merkel and Hollande propose.

They "reworked Putin's peace plan…(Took) out suggestions the EU and Ukraine were most opposed to," said RT.

Promised more rebel autonomy. More protection for Russian language and culture. About "600 square miles" more territory to reflect rebel gains since September.

Some reports suggest Merkel and Hollande are going their own way separate from Washington. More likely they're trying to sway Putin to bend to Western thinking.

Most important is whether they'll wage war on Russia if Washington initiates it. It's hard imagining they'd go along with such madness.

At the same time, WW I and II momentum involved one country after another aiding their allies. Once begun, major wars are hard to stop.

Germany and France are core NATO members. Alliance Article 4 calls for them to "consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any" is threatened.

Article 5 considers an armed attack (real or otherwise) against one or more members, an attack against all. Collective self-defense is called for.

Washington could call aggression on Russia self-defense. The same Big Lie Israel uses to attack Gaza.

The same one following US false flags. As NATO members, Germany and France are obligated to support their US ally - like it or not. Global wars start this way.

Given Washington's quest for global dominance, anything ahead is possible. Even the madness of war on Russia.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.